Wing Tip Cowl Knitting Pattern

Wing Tip Cowl

What Is Being Made

The Wing Tip Cowl is a seamless, tubular neck accessory designed to be worked in the round from the bottom up. This cowl features a finished circumference of 46 inches and a height of 10 inches, making it a generously sized piece suitable for wrapping comfortably around the neck and shoulders. The design incorporates decorative cable and slip stitch elements that create visual interest and texture throughout the piece.

Techniques Used

This knitting project employs several intermediate techniques that combine to create its distinctive appearance:

• Bottom-up construction: The cowl is cast on and worked upward in a single piece, eliminating the need for seaming
• Seamless, worked in the round: Using a circular needle, the entire cowl is knitted continuously in the round, creating a smooth, tubular fabric without seams
• Stripes: The pattern alternates between main color (MC) and contrast color (CC) sections, creating horizontal striped bands throughout the 10-inch height
• Cable stitches: Half cable stitches (1/2 RC and 1/2 LC) are incorporated into the pattern to add dimensional texture and visual movement
• Slip stitch color work: A slip stitch color pattern is repeated to build the striped design while maintaining yarn floats along the wrong side

Stitches Used

The Wing Tip Cowl utilizes fundamental and intermediate knitting stitches:

• Knit (k) and purl (p) stitches: Form the foundation of the ribbed edge and base fabric
• Slip stitches (sl): Used in the slip stitch color pattern to create texture and color transitions without cutting yarn
• Cable stitches: Half right cable (1/2 RC) and half left cable (1/2 LC) stitches create twisted, dimensional details. The 1/2 RC involves slipping 2 stitches to a cable needle, holding to the back, knitting 1, then knitting 1 from the cable needle. The 1/2 LC involves slipping 1 stitch to a cable needle, holding to the front, slipping 1 stitch, then knitting the slipped stitch and knitting 1 from the cable needle
• Ribbing: Alternating knit and purl stitches create the textured edges (Rnds 1 and 2, and Rnds 3 and 4)

Stitch Pattern Overview

The slip stitch color pattern is worked over a multiple of 11 stitches and repeats every 4 rounds. Rnd 1 combines knit stitches with cable stitches (1/2 RC and 1/2 LC). Rnd 2 alternates knit and slip stitches in a regular sequence. Rnds 3 and 4 repeat the ribbing pattern with the contrast color. This four-round repeat is worked eight times to build the main body of the cowl (Rnds 5-36), with additional ribbing rounds at the beginning and end to frame the design.

Materials and Gauge

The Wing Tip Cowl is knitted using Spud & Chloë Outer yarn, a worsted-weight fiber requiring 4 hanks total (2 hanks in main color and 2 hanks in contrast color). Each hank weighs 100 grams and contains 60 yards. The pattern is worked on Size 11 (8mm) circular needles measuring 40 inches in length, along with a cable needle and stitch markers for construction. The gauge is 9½ stitches and 17 rows over 4 inches in the slip stitch color pattern. A tapestry needle is used for weaving in ends after blocking.

Finished Measurements and Sizing

The completed cowl measures 46 inches in circumference and 10 inches in height. The pattern begins with a cast-on of 110 stitches, which are joined to work seamlessly in the round. This generous circumference allows the cowl to drape elegantly around the neck and shoulders, while the 10-inch height provides substantial coverage and warmth.

Construction Notes

The pattern is classified as Advanced Beginner level, indicating that craf